India vs England: We have been able to keep Kohli quiet because of extremely good effort from bowlers, says Root

Tags: India tour of England, 2021, India, England, Joseph Edward Root

Published on: Sep 01, 2021

England captain Joe Root on Tuesday credited his bowlers for not allowing Indian captain Virat Kohli to score a lot of runs in the first three Tests of the five-match series. However, he exercised caution and added that England must keep Kohli quiet for the next two Tests as well to win the Test series.

Kohli has managed only one half-century in five innings of the series so far. England bowlers James Anderson, Ollie Robinson and Sam Curran have trapped him outside the off stump, with Kohli being dismissed caught behind the stumps on all five occasions.

At the press conference ahead of the fourth Test at The Oval, Root said about the Kohli vs England bowlers battle, "The credit needs to go to our bowling attack, Virat is a world-class player hence the credit needs to be given to the bowling group. We have been able to keep him quiet, it is an extremely good effort from our bowling group and it is something we have to continue if we have to win this series. We have found ways to get him out, he is a fine player and has done tremendous things in Test cricket, we will have to look at ways to get the best players out.”

The India-England series has been like a see-saw so far. After a rain-enforced draw at Trent Bridge, India registered a brilliant 151-run triumph at Lord’s. However, England came back strongly to dismantle India by an innings and 76 runs at Headingley. Root expects India to come back hard at the hosts at The Oval. He opined, "Absolutely, world-class side like India led by Virat Kohli, I expect nothing less than a response. We would be naive to think otherwise. If we find ourselves ahead at any stage of the game, we have to consolidate.”

Having been bowled out for 78 in their first innings, India conceded a mammoth lead of 354 runs. They mounted a comeback of sorts, reaching 215 for 2 at the end of Day 3 at Headingley. However, England ran through India will the new ball on Day 4. Praising his bowlers, Root said, "I think it was a brilliant performance, nice template for us to work with really. The challenge is to replicate it and go one better. From a bowling perspective, I think we were flawless, we hit the right lengths early on and we managed to do it for long periods of time. With bat in hand, Headingley was our best outing till now and hopefully, we can go on.

"I think more than anything, we are very pleased with how we have sort of grown into this series. We have worked extremely hard to make the series 1-1, now is where the hard work really starts. We will look to go again and keep getting better," he added.

The fourth Test of the five-match series begins at The Oval on September 2.

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